Chapter 3 - Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life Flashcards
define organic compound
an organic compound is a compound containing carbon, associated with life
what are 3 types of biologically active macromolecule?
carbohydrates
proteins
nucleic acids
define hydrocarbon
a molecule containing only carbon and hydrogen
define functional group
arrangement of some atoms in a molecule, which result in the molecule having a predictable chemical character
what are the 7 chemical groups most important to biological processes?
hydroxyl group (forms alcohols)
carbonyl group (forms ketones, if in the middle of the carbon skeleton, OR or aldehydes, if at the the end of the carbon skeleton)
carboxyl group (forms carboxylic acid, aka organic acid)
amino group (forms amine)
sulfhydral group (forms thiol)
phosphate group (forms organic phosphate)
methyl group (forms methylated compounds)
what are the 6 functional groups most important to biology?
hydroxyl group (forms alcohols)
carbonyl group (forms ketones, if in the middle of the carbon skeleton, OR or aldehydes, if at the the end of the carbon skeleton)
carboxyl group (forms carboxylic acid, aka organic acid)
amino group (forms amine)
sulfhydral group (forms thiol)
phosphate group (forms organic phosphate)
hydroxyl
act as a functional group?
hydroxyl
can
act as a functional group
carboxyl
act as a functional group?
ATP stands for?
what is ATP?
adenosine triphosphate
ADP stands for?
how does it relate to ATP?
adenosine diphosphate
ATP becomes ADP by releasing energy and HOPO32- (inorganic phosphate ion)
what is a polymer?
a polymer is a long molecule, consisting of many similar or identical building blocks, linked by covalent bonds
(like a train)
define monomer
a monomer is the subunit of a polymer
define enzyme
an enzyme is a specialized macromolecule that speeds up chemical reactions
what is the dehydration reaction?
the dehydration reaction connects two monomers together. dehydration releases water.
what is hydrolosis?
hydrolysis breaks the bond between two monomers,
by the addition of water
define carbohydrate
carbohydrates include both sugars and polymers of sugars
define monosaccharide
monosaccharides
(individual sugar units)
generally have molecular formulas that are some multiple of CH20
examples include:
glucose and fructose (hexoses)
ribose (pentose)
can exist in either ring or straight form
define disaccharide
a disaccharide
consists of two monosaccharides
joined by a glycosidic linkage
define polysaccharides
polysaccharides
are polymers of many (a few –> hundreds) of monosaccharides
joined by glycosidic linkages
what is starch?
starch storage polysacchiride.
starch is a polymer of (alpha) glucose molecules
plants and animals store sugar for later use in the form of starch
what is glycogen?
glycogen is a storage polysacchiride
glycogen is a branched polymer of glucose
that animals use to store sugars (mainly in liver and muscle cells)
what is cellulose?
cellulose is a structural polysaccharide
cellulose is a polymer of alternating beta glucose molecules which form microfibrils (extra strength) by hydrogen bonding between the long chains
animals cannot digest cellulose
(don’t have the right enzymes – some prokaryotes and protists do, like the ones in a cow’s gut)
what is chitin?
chitin is a structural polysaccharide
used by arthropods (insects, crustaceans) to build their exoskeletons
what are lipids?
lipids are a group of compounds that do not mix with water.
lipids are generally small (not macromolecules)
what two components make up fat?
fat is made up of:
glycerol (an alcohol with 3 connection points)
fatty acids (3)
what is glycerol?
glycerol is an alcohol. it serves as the “backbone” for a fat molecule. it has three connection points for fatty acids, three C-OH groups.